Urban Aeronautics plans X-Hawk flying car for 2010

Flying cars have been doing this whole vaporware thing long before Duke Nukem Forever was even a twinkle in 3D Realms' eye. That's why it's practically absurd to assume anything at all will come from this new X-Hawk flying car, whose inventor, Rafi Yoeli, the founder of Urban Aeronautics, claims could ready for the market by 2010. The project has been in the works for years already, but Rafi recently managed to get a rudimentary prototype to fly a few feet off the ground, and has sparked some interest from Textron's Bell Helicopters for potential partnership. Two main things set the X-Hawk apart from the pack. First, the ducted fan design allows the car to achieve the speed and maneuverability of a helicopter -- 155 mph, 12,000-foot altitude, two hours of flight time, vertical take off and landing -- but removes the dangers of exposed rotors, allowing the "car" to sidle up to buildings for rescue missions, or coexist in close quarters with other vehicles. The enclosed-rotor design isn't perfectly unique, but the X-Hawk further differentiates itself by its target market: Rafi is going after those established military and rescue dollars, instead of the theoretical consumers willing to drop $1.5 million on a flying car that they'll still need to obtain complicated licenses for and etc. Making high-rise rescues possible, along with urban airlifts and such makes this sound like a natural fit, and perhaps we'll get a little bit of trickle-down flying car action before 2035 when Duke Nukem finally ships.

[Via Autoblog]

[SporkRocker @ Jan 31st 2007 10:06PM]

People can hardly drive on the roads today even being sober. Now add in mobility in the air. There wont be any damage railings any more, just damaged buildings...

I can't really see the practical use of this. Drunk driving is still a big problem.

[tiuk @ Jan 31st 2007 11:58PM]

Yeah, seriously. The only way I can see flying cars being a reality is if they're controlled by some sort of auto-pilot system, like the cars in Minority Report. The average person just can't be trusted to fly.

[wabguard-email @ Feb 1st 2007 5:17PM]

Ha! Well if the idiots want to "fly" drunk, there will sure cleansing of the gene pool. The chances of living through a auto wreck is good, but a 12,000 ft fall... Nope..

[Jonathan Keim @ Jan 31st 2007 10:24PM]

The Automobile started the same way. 1.5 million is probably close to what it cost back then for one of the new cars.
It will only be a matter of time when someone finds the low cost production secret and we will all be flying high in the sky. I think that the computers will control all movement of the vehicle and that there won't even be an option for manual over ride. You simply tell it where you want to go and it will make it's own highway and communicate the path to the other cars that may cross nearby.
Think of this. We keep enlarging our highways to 5 lays+, but imagine having infinite right, left, up and down! You could have a 10x10 cube highway and have 100 lanes for heavily traveled paths.

Just some thoughts of what the world will be like in 50 years

[Fuzz @ Jan 31st 2007 10:36PM]

_____

[Fuzz @ Jan 31st 2007 10:38PM]

Aparently the comment system doesn't like my arrow. It was supposed to point at theat low line, and say:

"See that line right there? Ya, that's how high my hopes are. They have been shattered so many times, and all I want is a REAL fricken' flying car! Is that so hard??? Is it?"

[Zach @ Feb 1st 2007 8:11AM]

Yea, my feelings exactly! Why is it still vaporware?!!!! We're in the 21 century for crying out loud. Oh yea, here's why it's vaporware... because nobody with any real money want to consider the fact that UFO technology and gravity generation/control is possible! Nikola Tesla was working on this way back and JP Morgan bought and destroyed/hid all his work, etc. Forget ducted fans, nacelles, etc. Let's build A REAL FRICKIN gravity propulsion personal flying machine for crying out LOUD!

[Biff @ Jan 31st 2007 10:43PM]

WOW

"this will only be good if you're in the military"
"this is what the world will look like in 50 years"

Too bad global warming exists, because almost all North American croplands will have moved to Canada..and be under water. oops. And as for military, if they can shoot down helicopters they WILL shoot down these twice as fast, especially if they're flying low around buildings....BUT at least we know what car GwB's great grand kids will be "driving" as they hover over the starving/rioting masses. :))

[Deluxe @ Feb 1st 2007 1:24AM]

ZOMG, world's gonna end. Why not save us all the grief of listening to your fear-mongering ass and put yourself out of your misery now.

[zed @ Jan 31st 2007 11:02PM]

Hey Jonathan #2 up there.

'I think that the computers will control all movement of the vehicle and that there won't even be an option for manual over ride. You simply tell it where you want to go and it will make it's own highway and communicate the path to the other cars that may cross nearby.'

You ever hear of viruses? scaaaary.

[Jonathan Keim @ Jan 31st 2007 11:12PM]

yep, you are absolutetly correct that it is scary. But at the same time we are trusting elections and other very privy information to them, so why not trust them with our very lives?

[ml @ Feb 2nd 2007 4:31PM]

what about the human "virus" so called terrorist? Even though the computer control the flying-car, what stop the terrorist from programming the destination as World Trade Center?

[Brian @ Jan 31st 2007 11:04PM]

two words
teenage drivers...

[nuguns101 @ Jan 31st 2007 11:25PM]

Because with elections we see no immediate danger, thus pretty much preventing most people from doing anything about it

[Directive0 @ Jan 31st 2007 11:30PM]

Yah have fun dealing with an engine failure on that.

[fLeShTwIsTeR @ Jan 31st 2007 11:44PM]

This is nice but only good if you are in the military. The typical human won't be able to use one of these...

http://www.fleshtwister.com

[Andrew H. @ Feb 1st 2007 1:44AM]

@zed

lets hope it doesn't run on windows vista =)

[ASTROBOT @ Feb 1st 2007 2:48AM]

Flying cars aren't for everyone so it won't be mass produce. It's like owning a small passenger jet plane. By the look of that design, that crap ain't going to fly. More like a foot gliding off the ground. 2010? Yeah right. Keep on dreaming. If you want a malfunctioning flying cars, yeah than bring it out in 2010.

[Aaron @ Feb 1st 2007 2:56AM]

This sucks. I'd like a flying DeLorean. Can someone do that? Please? It doesn't even need to go 155 mph, 88 will do...

[Aaron @ Feb 1st 2007 3:12AM]

I don't see these becoming street legal, or at least not be allowed to fly on any roads. These aren't going to have fast reflexes, if a wreck happens in front of on of these chances are it won't be able to pull up and sure as hell won't be able to stop.
I say this'll be on of those too good to be true flash in the pan things. Sort of like the flying saucer Avero Car (I think that's it) made back in the '50s.

[Paulmichael @ Feb 1st 2007 3:30AM]

Let's hope this doesn't run on anything.

[Xander @ Feb 1st 2007 3:42AM]

I don't trust cars in 2 dimensions ... let alone 3!

[artifex @ Feb 1st 2007 5:31AM]

There was a real flying car with a removable overhead wing design demoed back in the 50s. "Newton's Apple" showed footage from a publicity reel, at one point, I think.

But yeah, flying cars are just too dangerous for mass use.

Oh! I forgot! Neiman-Marcus had a set of his and hers flying cars in their Christmas catalog a year or two ago. Except I think they were only prototypes. But they had safety features so you wouldn't just run out of gas in midair and plummet, hopefully.

[we already fly this way @ Feb 1st 2007 11:24PM]

"You ever hear of viruses? scaaaary."

Newsflash: we already fly this way. Do you really think the pilots are controlling airliners all of the time? Most of the time it's computer controlled. The pilot is there in case something goes wrong, but most of the flight is now automated.

It isn't that difficult to isolate computer systems from viruses. We are talking about flight control computers here, not Windows PCs running Outlook. We trust our very lives to these kinds of software systems every day. The future won't be any different.

If flying cars really become economical, computer controlled autopilot is the only way to make it practical. Most people will never have the skills to be a good pilot; the most training they would need if something went wrong would be how to use the manual override to do an emergency landing and then wait for help to arrive. Otherwise, you simply have to automate everything, if you don't you will get too many collisions and near misses.

Flying cars are really a commuter solution; we aren't talking a replacement for airlines here. Short hops between suburbs and major cities. Maybe not even a personal flying car at first, but flying taxis or flying public transit. Most people wouldn't need to own one of these things at first, only rent them or borrow them for short periods.

[myro255 @ Feb 1st 2007 8:20AM]

people in 50 years will probably be laughing at allegations like these...as they check the engadget archives for a little comical light reading while their cars are flying them from Florida to Tennessee to go to their job...

[threefingeredlord @ Feb 1st 2007 9:59AM]

That shiz doesn't look like it's going to fly.......but yeah I'm looking forward to Duke Nukem :).

[blizz @ Feb 1st 2007 1:32PM]

now why hasnt someone made a simple hover board yet? im still waiting and im sure if someone can make a car fly a few feet above the ground....someone can make a board hover a few inches off the ground

[steve @ Feb 1st 2007 2:04PM]

I can just imagine the oil tycoons using these to fly up to their cloud cities, while the rest of us have to breath the soot

[Andy @ Feb 1st 2007 8:41PM]

We Americans suck at driving. How the heck are we going to FLY too? And the Government gives anyone a liscense so expect to see paralyzed retarded blind people flying these.....

[ark_v2 @ Feb 1st 2007 10:25PM]

It's awesome how close we are to a true flying car. More road layers will be the panacea for New York, Mexico City and Tokyo. I think too that we won't be able to control them directly when mass produced; still, imagine all the possibilities. Imagine the races in a not so far away future, damn WipEout!

[ml @ Feb 2nd 2007 4:24PM]

Have you heard of aftermarket "mod" chip that over-rides a manufacture restriction? Like mod chip to allow to exceed the speed limit restriction manufacture put on car and motorcycle? Nobody mod airplane yet 'cuz it's so expensive. When it's more affordable and abundant, someone would always find ways to mod it.

[mike @ Feb 1st 2007 11:55PM]

ok cool one thing that thing looks very corny and also who are we gona trust with these there are gona be "groups" of people that are retarted for ex the guy that goes out of the bar next morning u find out he crased into the empire state next the asshole teens, the road rage (lets hope no lasers runing on this crap), and there are the ethnic groups im not pointing fingers but it rymes with chinese food. Basiclly auto pilot with gps is the best with selected speeds. And if this is used in the army the arabs will also say WTF is that. And then ride its way to america to say hello to allah.

[Gery @ Feb 2nd 2007 10:28AM]

This thing looks as bogus as Moller's Skycar.
(He's been scamming people for 30years now...)

Seems like everyone with a CAD program have "designed" a flying car
but NONE of them are physically possible.

[sadalmelik @ Mar 8th 2007 9:10AM]

When Urban Aeronautics is ready for a good reclame commercial,and they wanne give one car to a public person,then I would say"give my such a car,and I will fly away with it,after saying,Thanks" My blessing to Urban Aeronautics for this invention of the X hawk flying car,and bringing humans further to and inside the future.greetings from sadal melik

[sadalmelik @ Mar 10th 2007 6:17AM]

I have a technical question-Do having these flying cars a Automatic dynamo charging system,so that when I do start the turbines,that automatecally the dynamo cq dynamo"s starts running and charging up the batterys.Ore have you build in a fuell system[gasoline,ore other liquid]burning system for making the engines running.Is it possible to become more specifications about your flying car

[sadalmelik @ Mar 10th 2007 6:23AM]

My second and last technical question-I,do not seeing a solar panel somewhere,with the help of a solarpanel,you can have enough energy/sparkle of electric,to make the first startup proces come running,and further this,you park your car outside,so there is enough solar light to help you to give the electric energy to stay longer inside the air then just 2 hours.

[Tadeo Carvalho @ Mar 26th 2007 10:19PM]

1)I know Mr Rafi Yoeli is making great efforts with his team and this sort of character is the stuff that changes the world.
2)The first thing people did when cars, aeroplanes and internet appeared was criticising.Imagine the world if these inventors gave attention to prejudice.You wouldn't be reading this.
3)The design is simple because this is a prototype and the purpose is showing that the concept works.Highly developed design doesn't belong to this phase of the project and is expensive.You don't spend too much money before aqcuiring enough investors otherwise you are an amateur businessman.
4)The whole humanity can't be deprived of cars just because a percentage of the population is alcoholic or irresponsible.The same applies to flying cars.The number of helicopter crashes is low in proportion to cars and this flying car is nothing but a helicopter with ducted fans.These fans are placed inside the fuselage in order to protect people outside and inside and avoid contact with external objects.
5)This concept was tested and worked well more than fifty years ago(the flying jeep).The military did't see its advantages at the time.Other purposes could be of society's interest as rescuing people stranded in the middle of a storm or a fire.
6)It is very common to see things start off as poor technology for lack of knowhow.This happens when an idea comes before its time.Leonardo da Vinci envisioned the helicopter but the technology and qualified personnel did not come up until the 20th century.When the first e-mail was used only three letters(LOG)were transmitted before the entire net crashed.
6)As for the De Lorean comparison I d'say it wouldn't apply to any utility...unless you want to show off...In this case I have developed other designs of other flying cars that are appealing to the public.But as competitor of Urban Aeronautics I have to admit they have developed a very interesting product.My company is DTR Design and Technology Revolution.Our Project was not made public yet.I believe the world is ready for different ideas with similar ourposes.It happened to Television and cars:Quality sets standards and the different ideas can affect the result of products in a very healthy environment.I truly bet on this product,which serves other niches of market,although they are close enough to be called flying cars.Moller's Skycar is another interesting proposal,among others.
Good luck,Mr Yoeli,I know you are a serious researcher.
Sincerely
Tadeo Carvalho
(dtrwheels.com.br)
[e-mail]